With good weather around the corner, I thought we could start looking at wines to enjoy on the patio and kick it off this week with tawny ports. Yes, you read that right folks. Tawny ports stir up images of a log fire, a bowl of nuts and a plate of cheese, but did you know their secret weapon is a fridge?
Serving a port lightly chilled takes the edge off the sweetness, which can be a tad cloying at room temperature, but for reasons well above my education it enhances other flavours with the focus on vanilla and the nutty hints so beloved in a good tawny.
One thing to note is that tawny ports become more nuanced and caramelly - if that's the right word - the longer they are kept in cask, so I prefer to open something at least 10 years old. But don't be put off by my snobbery as there are some excellent young wines out there right now, and who cares when the sun is out?
Corney & Barrow 20 year old tawny
This is one of life's great pleasures with enough vanilla and nuts to make a Christmas cake, but it's the balanced nuanced manner in which it delivers all the flavours that really seduces you
Corney & Barrow £39.95
Croft Reserve Tawny
A lovely, soft rounded tawny with butterscotch and hints of spice on the finish.
Majestic £14.99
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